Speed, efficiency, and product consistency are crucial to a successful meat processing enterprise. Thus, a common piece of equipment in a meat processing facility is a meat saw, typically a powered, table mounted band saw with an adjustable fence for setting the thickness of cuts. Existing meat saws commonly employ a movable carriage assembly comprising a tray mounted on a track for side-to-side cutting stroke movement parallel to the saw blade and fence. A pusher plate slidingly mounted to the tray is pushed forward to advance meat on the tray against the fence before each cutting stroke. The pusher plate provides a simple and convenient way to support meat from behind during a lateral cutting stroke with multiple safeguards against an operator inadvertently cutting his or her hands, including a stop mechanism that prevents the plate from crossing the plane of the saw blade, in addition to the plate itself serving as a guard or obstruction standing between the operator's hand and the blade. Typical examples of such a meat saw are the BIRO® Models 1433 and 1433FH (Fixed Head) Meat Cutters available from the Biro Manufacturing Company.
However, the typical meat saw design described above suffers from a number of shortcomings. For example, the lateral mobility of the carriage itself imposes limitations on its size, as it would be undesirable for the carriage to intermittently protrude beyond the profile of the saw table on every stroke, either jutting into or limiting available space for walking pathways on the facility floor. Consequently, the carriage tray is typically made to have a width substantially less than that of the whole device, with the attendant disadvantage of limited working surface space for manipulating the meat before or after cutting. Additionally, the tracks used to mount the carriage are susceptible to soiling of interior corners, grooves or other hard to reach and clean areas, as is the corresponding mating structure of the carriage itself. Furthermore, the mating track structure adds to the cost and complexity of the device.
A need therefore exists for an improved meat saw apparatus with an elegant and practical design that provides the advantages of control and operator safety provided by existing carriages without limitations on available working/counter space, with improved ease of cleaning, and simpler manufacture.